Acrylic Album Workshop Sneak Peek - my baby!!!! CTMH Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

When I saw the new Sweet Home paper packet at Leadership in July, I thought it would make such a great acrylic album.  I wish you could see the paper in person....a picture just doesn't do it justice!

So I created one of my favorite projects yet  with the Level II kit and Stickease.  This is my favorite photo of Alan!  The photo is actually on the second page of the album, so I had to develop it so that it looked nice from each layer.  It was a challenge, but I love how it turned out! I'll take more photos to post later this week. 

My workhsop is scheduled for October 9.  It includes our uber-cute acrylic album, a partial packet of  Sweet Home Level II, an entire packet of Stickease, three types of ribbon, lots of buttons, waxy flax and dimensional elements.  We will also be heat embossing (see the Vineyard Berry tree peaking through above the house?  It's on page 5).  Let me know if you would like a kit!

Thursday is the CTMH Stamp of the Month Blog Hop - wooHOO!!  The October stamp set is a cute holiday set and I will have two projects for you....provided I complete them tomorrow night!  tee hee

Best,

Deb

Think Ink Tuesday Challenge and Contest Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

Welcome to Think INK Tuesday! It's time for your fourth issued challenge from Artful INKables! Every two weeks one of the Design Team members will host a challenge of their choice for not only the other Design Team members to participate in, but we also invite you to join us! You will have two weeks to complete the challenge and add your link to the main post over on the Artful INKables Blog to have your entry counted! Now how does that sound? Pretty neat, right?!

For this week Lisa Kind is hosting and her challenge is to 'use something that sparkles'! How fun is that! Head on over to the Artful INKables Blog for all the little details and be sure to play along, it is sure to be a great time! Here are a few further details for you!

* You are not required to use AI stamps, but if you have them, we'd love to see you use them!**If you use AI stamps we will give you TWO entries for your creation! Just link your card to Mr.Linky Twice!

* You have until Monday, October12, 2009, midnight Pacific Standard Time to link your creation to this post. A winner will be chosen Tuesday, October13, 2009 to win a GRAB BAG of AI STAMPS!

* When posting your link, please post the link directly to your creation- so if it's on your blog, please link it directly to the specific post with your creation.

* If uploading to SCS or PCP, please add the keyword AIC04.

I will be sharing with everyone the project I created for this challenge on Sunday, my Artful INKables posting day! I have actually finished it, just need to take the photos. 

Good luck!

Deb

New Header - Now what do I do with it??? CTMH Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

Hey, y'all! Isn't my new background puuuuurty???? And I have edited a new header, but I can't figure out where to put it....ha!!!! Too bad my HTML king (my son, Alan) is probably asleep in Gainesville....so please be patient till it all looks puuuurty!!!

Edited: I did it! Now, the header does not exactly match the background (especially the style), but "it goes" (coordinates), as my mom would say ;-) And when I saw that little crown at the top....well, how perfect for a Czar! HA!!!

Such fun!!

Deb

Is it a Purse? Is it a Bag? BOOO!!!! Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

Is it Sunday already? This weekend is just flying by for me. How about you?

It's my posting day for Artful Inkables...woo hoo! I chose again to use "Halloween Hauntings", one of this month's new reelases. I just love that toddler grim reaper! Have you ever seen a grim reaper that you can call precious? tee hee

I took the photo from two different angles so that you can see the ruffled ribbon effect. Now, there is a little white lunch bag (cut down to 5" high) that is sandwiched in between the two cardstock layers. I just love making this little purse/bag/whatever you want to call it. I used nesties for the tabs at the top (the black ones and the sunflower ones), and CTMH cardstock, buttons, brads, inks and waxy flax. I believe the paper is from Basic Grey or Debbie Mumm - got it from JoAnn's.

Oh! Also, the haunted house (mwah ha ha) and the BOO! (sentiment along the bottom) are from this Halloween Haunting set of 11 super-cute stamps from Artful Inkables. Did you participate in the challenge? You still have a couple of days to win!

So are you getting a lot of rain this weekend? We had some this morning. I packed my card up for a card class just before it started sprinkling. Just enough to make the steam come up from the asphalt!

Thursday is October 1, which means it will be time for our monthly CTMH Stamp of the Month Blog hop! I have to finish my project. I have little parts and pieces completed, and can't wait to get back to it. I hope you stop by!

Sweet dreams,

Deb

Mojo Monday 105 with a cute little skirt! CTMH Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

It's Mojo Thursday for me...tee hee! I think I'm finally getting back into the swing of things. When I saw this Mojo Monday (105) sketch, I wanted to give it a frilly feel. So my first thought was some type of lace or scallops for the bottom layer.

Then I had what my mom would call a brainstorm....which turned out to be more of a drizzle, ha!

Remember when we were kids...we used to make those paper snowflakes by folding white "typewriter" paper, cutting little notches, then unfolding to find an amazing, one-of-a-kind wonder? Well. Apparently the wonder is in a child's eyes, because when I tried it last night - ugh.......no. Not so amazing. Now, that's not to say that I might not try it again - tis the season, right?

So I did the next best thing. I found these 4" doilies which I thought would be perfect! When I brought them home, however, I realized they were too wide (four 4" doilies, 5" wide card....hell-OOO!!!!).So I snipped them in half and proceeded to pleat them to make a cute little skirt! I love how it turned out! There are four half-doiles to make the four scallops on the bottom.

I also wanted to do a monochromatic card with creams and whites, but needed to add chocolate for a little pop. Gotta love a little chocolate, right?

RECIPE:

Stamp: Treasure (CTMH)

Ink: Chocolate (CTMH), Versamark

Paper: Unforgettable, Vanilla Cream CS, Chocolate CS, White Daisy CS

Other: Kaiser Pears, Fleur di lis Pendant and Oval Nestibilities (Spellbinders), Just Blooms (CTMH), Colonial White Ribbon Round (CTMH), Doilies (Wilton)

I hope you enjoy it!

Deb

Open House Fun and Photos CTMH Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

I finally downloaded the photos from last Saturday's Close To My Heart Open House. I never seem to take enough photos! I get so involved in greeting friends, showing them all the new loot, eating (tee hee), laughing and gabbing.....maybe next time I'll have a designated photo taker, right?



The beautiful lady on the right is my first CTMH downline, Harmony. You have never met a sweeter, kinder gal than Harmony. You should see her wedding photos - wow! Talk about glamorous! And to top it all off, she is a hula dancer!!! What more can I say about Harmony? The gal next to her is one of her friends, Miranda, who we were all lucky to meet last Saturday. In the background is my best friend Rindy. I could not pull of these Open Houses without Rindy. She is always there to help and support me. I could not ask for a better friend. Thank you , Rindy!






Here's a photo of some of the items on display. The circle cards are a great deal - it's a card kit with everything you need except adhesive! You get twelve circle cards, twelve envelope flats, foam squares and organdy ribbon, all for just $14.95! You can order it here and have it deliveredlittle chipboard album directly to your home. There's also a cute little purses card kit which is retiring this year - I need to get one while I can!



See the little album to the right of the circle cards? That's my precious neice Stephanie on the cover, and throughout the book. This is one of the best deals around. You get six unique chipboard pages with different edge treatments (brackets, scallops, 'postage stamp' - so cute) for just $5.95! And it is the same size as our acrylic album, so you can mix and match the pages. How cool is that!!





There are lots of new items in the book. I think my favorite is this package of 27 adorable chipboard buttons for just $3.50! How can you beat that! They coordinate so well with the new papers, especially Twitterpated!

Finally, I was thrilled that Stephanie was the grand prize winner! She won all twelve Stamp of the Month sets from 2009, all tucked into a My Acrylix organizer. wooHOOO! Doesn't she look

as happy as the proverbial clam? I can't wait to see her creations. She's relatively new to all this crafty fun, so you KNOW she is going to have a blast! Congratulations, Steph!!!

Well, there are too many new products to mention, but you can take a look for yourself here. That's right, the entire new Idea Book is online in case you don't have yours.

Did I mention the cute little Heart-felt die cuts? Chocolate felt squirrels, hedgehogs and Bambi!!!!! Oh my!!!



Enjoy!

Deb

Beavers like Candy Canes, don't they???? Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

It's a fact that every year, the stores bring out their holiday displays earlier and earlier! I remember my mom saying, "Good Lord, I can't believe that they are puttin' out the Christmas decorations and Thanksgiving isn't even over!" And the family wholeheartedly agreed with her.

So here it is mid-September and I am presenting to you a Christmas card. HA! Thankfully my mom will never know.......a computer is not her friend ;-)

So here's my Sunday post for you as a member of Artful Inkables' Design Team. How can you resist this little beaver? What a cutie-pie! Now, you all know that I am not the best color-er. Leslie and Cibele will claim that it is because I have not succumbed to Copic markers. Well, in any case, this little guy is just happy to have a big ol' candy cane in his mouth. Cute, cute, cute! He is not the only little guy in this set.....check out his friends!

I made this card for Jackie's challenge to use one image, two different ribbons, three layers and scallops. It required real thinking, I tell ya! I started with a Kraft paper base (now I am addicted to it - good grief!). I added scallops with my corner rounder using CTMH's Everlasting paper and Tulip Cardstock. I finally pulled out this Cuttlebug embossing folder that I had never used. I thought it would be a cute background for Billy Beaver (tee hee), as well as adding my second layer. My third layer is the ground behind Billy (it's the plain backside of the floral scalloped B&T paper). As for the two ribbons - CTMH plain twill and Tulip ricrac twill. Now, she didn't say I wasn't allowed to add a matching Tulip photo hanger, so I snuck it in to pull my twills together. Doesn't Billy look like he just snitched the candy cane from one of those little houses and is now hauling bootie back into the woods to hide it? Gotta love him ;-)

You can join in the challenge and win a goody bag from Artful Inkables! I'll be back tomorrow with photos and stories from last week's Open House. It rocked! I just love my friends.

Good luck with the challenge!

Deb

Another take on Steampunk Sarah Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

Here's another card I made with the amazing Steampunk Sarah stamp set from Artful Inkables. Isn't this image rockin'?

I inked the main image and the sentiment with CTMH Cocoa ink. The paper is from Basic Grey's Porcelain pad, plus Cocoa and Sorbet (yum!) from CTMH. The little sorbet charm and Cocoa ribbon are also from CTMH. I thought they went nicely with the Basic Grey paper.

I wanted the little tag to have some movement (hello - there's a balloon in the image!), so I cut it to resemble a fine fluttering flag. Such fun!

Imagine the fun you could have coloring this image with your Copics. Now, I have not yet succumbed to the Copic frenzy. You see, I would have to have them ALL....and right now I am content with my pretty little CTMH markers that match everything that I have. tee hee But if you have Copics, you gotta have this image!

Sweet dreams

Deb

Think Ink Tuesday Recipe Challenge! Scrapbooking in Melborne, Florida

Today there's a new challenge over on the Artful Inkables blog! This new challenge is brought to you by Jackie Rakoski and she has a recipe for you to follow:

• One Image
• Two Different Ribbons
• Three Layers
• and you need to incorporate scallops!

You don't have to use Artful Inkables stamps, but if you have them, why not? You have until Monday, September 28, 2009, midnight Pacific Standard Time to link your creation to the Artful Inkables Blog. A winner will be chosen Tuesday, September 29, 2009 to win a GRAB BAG of AI STAMPS! woooHOOO!!!

Good luck!

Deb

BOO!!!! Artful Inkables New Release Blog Hop! Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

Welcome to the Artful Inkables New Relase Blog Hop!


You should be joining me from Jackie’s blog. If you’ve missed any of the blog hop, you might want to start at the Artful Inkables Blog and follow the links. Each member of the design team has a creation with one of two new sets, “Halloween Hauntings” and “Holiday Treats and Tails”.

I broke open the new “Halloween Hauntings” set and started playing. How can you resist those cute little ghosts????!!! And the sentiment – “A big ole BOO from me to you” – good grief! You gotta love it! I used a DCWV paper stack from JoAnn’s for the patterned paper, along with my trust CTMH inks, liquid glass, ribbon, brads and cardstock.

Have you commented on each of the INKgirls’ blogs? Have you seen something that you are going to make for Halloween or Christmas? I sure have! Be sure you left all the INKgirls a comment, because one lucky reader will win both new releases!!! wooHOOO!!!!


I have the honor this month of revealing both sets here. Don’t you just love those cute little beavers?

Leave your comments on the INKgirl blogs no later than Thursday, September 17 Midnight PST. A random winner will be chosen on Friday, September 18, and announced on the Artful Inkables blog!

Good luck!!

Deb

Artful Inkables Sunday card - get your sunglasses!!!! Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

Happy Sunday!!!! Which means it's my day to post a goody from Artful Inkables!


I really like this card. I had it in my mind to do a lime green background, but I didn't have just the right color that I wanted. So (light bulb moment), lemon yellow it is!


I used the super-cute "Fun and Friendly" stamp set for the sentiment. It's the same one that I used for all those little backpack cards last weekend, remember? The background image is AI's Chrysanthemum set, which also includes a beautiful fall leaf. I embossed everything with black embossing powder, popped up some of it and had fun with a gel pen.

Have you check out the new AI website? Now you can register with Artful INKables, keep a full shopping cart (even if you leave and come back), visit the easier to use inspiration gallery with multiple viewing choices, check out the AI forum and find out what's going on with the AI calendar. And while you're there, check out the new photos and bios of the INKgirls. WooHOOO!! Look at how cute those other gals are! I look like a ghost. Ha!!! Gotta luv ya an INKgirl!

And it that wasn't enough....tomorrow (Monday) we release two new stamp sets! There are some sneak peeks on the blog. Could on be.....halloweenie? Some other big holiday? Hmmmm.....We'll have a fun blog hop to introduce the stamps, and I'll have blog candy on my blog! woooHOOO!!!!! I'll be tossin' that candy out to one of you, so stop by here tomorrow to get the blog hop links, leave a comment on all the blogs, and someone will win some cute new stamps!!!

Sweet dreams,



Deb

Rockin Open House and Squirrel-y Felt CTMH Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

What a great day today turned out to be! It was my Fall/Winter Open House and crop, and it really rocked! Harmony, Karrie and I had 35 people attend - wooHOO!!! I'll post more about it tomorrow, along with photos. Stephanie was the grand prize winner - she won EVERY single Stamp of the Month for 2009!!! Awesome! Can't wait for you to see how happy she was ;-)

Here's a layout that I need help with! I've been going manic-crazy over these Heart-Felt Diecuts. I love the tree, flowers, buttons and squirrel, but not crazy about my photo and white cardstock section.

Should I remove the lower left portion of the photo that is outside of the scalloped circle? Should I change the color of the white cardstock? Should I put a frame or flowers around the photo, or a mat behind it? Please give me your ideas - I know it's not right but I'm too lazy to try to figure it out - tee hee!!!

My beloved Dodgers beat the nasty Giants (BOOO!!!) last night 10-1! And they are on tv again tonight at 9! You've gotta love MLB network!!! Happy happy me.

Can't wait to hear your thoughts on this poor little page....

Sweet dreams,

Deb

Pretty Little Teapot and Corduroy Brads Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

Hey, hey, hey! Here's my last "limited supplies" card from my trip to Minneapolis. I knew I would have time in the evenings to create, so I took some new stamp sets that I was anxious to play with, as well as a couple of mat stacks that were in my cart when I got to the register at JoAnns. Now how did that happen? tee hee


The images are from Verve stamps. If you click on the image to enlarge it, you will see how the stripes in the brads mimic the stripes in the teapot. How cool is that!

The chocolate band is a bit bland, but I had to deal with what I had packed. Since I didn't have any Nesties with me (boo hoo!), I cut out a couple of the swirly patterns from the paper to flank the sentiment. This is one of my favorite color combos. What fun!

Well, tomorrow is 9/11. I have no doubt that every American, and possibly non-American, knows exactly where you were and what you were doing that day. In truth, we are thankful that we are here and able to remember, which is more that so many of our citizens cannot say, as they lost their lives that fateful day. Eight years ago seems like a lifetime ago.

I'll leave you with your thoughts, dear friends.

Blessings,

Deb

Gals,don't do this at work! Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

Happy back-to-work day! I'll share a card first so that you don't have to read about my silliness if you don't want to.

This is another card I made last week in Minneapolis. You can tell that I had limited supplies, can't you! I had to cut out my own label shape, and didn't really have the ribbon that I wanted, or enough of what I did have to place it properly. Well, I still love the Verve stamp set and the K&Co. mat stack. You can click on the photo to enlarge if you'd like.

You won't believe what I did today. I went to work with my shirt on backwards. Had a meeting with my boss (in my office, so I didn't go out in public....) with my shirt on backwards. Didn't realize it till I left for lunch. On the way to the car I thought, "Gee, this is sorta tight around my neck. Did I gain 20 more pounds in Minneapolis"? Then, obviously for the first time all day, I looked down and realized what I had done. Good grief!!!! Apparently I don't glance in the mirror on my way out the door. Apparently I should start! The front of my shirt even has a 3" thick, double-banded satin v-neck, so you KNOW someone had to notice something! Sure my hair was down, but come ON!!! Oh Lord. The saddest thing is......I have done this before. I went to work a couple of months ago with my shirt inside-out. Luckily I spend a lot of time in my office alone. Or maybe this is the reason I am in my office alone......hmmmm.

So you see, it really isn't all about us. We think that people notice every little thing, but they don't....they are all about themselves. Thank goodness!!!!

Sweet dreams,

Deb

Cute little shoe card Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

No work tomorrow - woooHOO!!!! I'll be working, though, getting things ready for Saturday's Open House! I can't wait to share all the new loot with y'all - hope I'll see you there! e-mail me for directions and to RSVP.

Here's a cute little card I made this week while I was in Minneapolis (see the skyline in the background)? I am a big fan of Verve stamps. I used a couple of different sets on this card - one of the new releases with the shoe and an August (I think) release with the fleur-di-lis frame and border. The papers are from a K&Co. mat stack, and the cute little edge anchors are, of course, Close To My Heart.

Remember my post a couple of weeks ago that featured the Everyday Celebration card kit? Well, y'all, you can get the entire kit FREE if you join my team in September! Yes, just my team, no one else's! Tee hee. That would be super-cool, but it's not true. But I would love to invite any of you who are on the fence to hop on over to my Young Hearts team (get it - Deb YOUNG - Close To My HEART) - Oh, I crack myself up. Seriously, I have team members not only in Florida but nationwide and we are all going to meet up (I hope) at convention next summer in Washington DC! WooHOOO!!!! Now, you talk about a party! I can't begin to describe the fun we have. And all the loot we get - good grief!!!! It's worth it to join, just to go to convention!

Close To My Heart offers more product in their $99 consultant kit than I have seen from any other company....plus there's an add-on for scrapbookers and another for cardmakers, depending upon your preferences. Plus, sign up in September and the card kit, including a full-sized stamp set, is free!!!

Even more important to me, though, is the support from corporate headquarters. We have an on-line Training Academy where you can earn a Bachelor's, Masters, and Ph.D.! In scrapbooking, of course - not accredited - ha! Just call me Dr. Deb! Seriously, the resources for consultants are unmatched throughout the industry, whether you are a hobbyist or a business-minded consultant.

You can see the details about joining here, and look at the consultant kit on pp 106-107 in the Autumn/Winter 09 Idea Book here. You can sign up right now on-line, or ask me for details. I'd love to enable.....errr....help you along your journey!!!

Best,

Deb

Card Set in a Backpack! AI and Animal Cookies Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

Wooohooo!!! Sunday is my day to post my Artful Inkables Design Team challenge project. This week Holly's challenge is to create a box or a bag. Well, I found this cute little backpack tutorial a while ago and finally 'did one up'. What FUN!!! When Kristin sent me Artful Inkables' "Fun and Friendly" stamp set, I decided to use it for a few cute little backpack cards! One ofthe sentiments fits perfectly on the backpack flap. And the other sentiments are just perfect!

Now, trying to find a stuffed animal that can 'model' the backpack was my own personal challenge! Alan's beanie babies from years ago are packed away somewhere. But my fellow Flamingo Gal Becky gave us all these adorable stuffed flamingos at CTMH convention last year. a-HA! A model! Isn't she a great model? Simply adorable. tee hee.


Check out the other INKgirls' blogs for their take on the challenge. Check out the detials on the AI blog and take part in the challenge for your chance to win a little sumpin' sumpin'!!!

Best,

Deb

Baby Girl Card and my life before Alan CTMH Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

Happy Hump Day! See the skyline behind my card? That is Minneapolis! Yep, I am still away on business, but wanted to slip up to the room during lunch to get out a quick post. This is going to be a difficult post for me, however. If you are bored and read the entire post, you'll see why.

I wanted to do a baby girl card using my favorite new stamp set from the new Idea Book - "Childhood Portrait". Now, I have to admit that I have a lot of 'favorites', but this one is my favorite of the day!

Well, the concept here is to have the name of the new baby with the image, with the names of mommy and daddy as well. This brings me to another favorite new stamp set (tee hee) - "Made with Love". This is a must-have set for cardmakers and scrapbookers. Click on the link to see the images. There are ten adorable labels to stamp on the back of your creations! Sentiments include:

• Hand Stamped Especially For You
• Authentic Art Designed By
• Created By
• Made Just For You By (Signature)
• Designed By (Signature)
• Scrapbooked For You With Love
• Made With Love
• Hand Stamped (pick one - just for you, by me, with love, from my heart) - Date
• Handmade With Love
• and the one I used - Created By

How cool....right? Anyway, I thought that "Created By" would be perfect for a baby card, since the baby is created by Mom and Dad (okay, maybe there is also divine intervention, but bear with me please - tee hee). Well, I decided it was time to face two tragedies in my life with this one image. First, the daddy is also Alan's dad, Jeffrey. This was the first time I had written his name in so long I can't even recall the last time. But I had to give him credit, because he was the daddy. That's enough about him.

Secondly.....my baby girl Jessica. Yes, I know, I only have one child, my incredible son Alan. Well, Jessica was actually born two years before Alan, but she did not make it. She had a condition called anencephaly, where her spinal cord did not close above the neck. So she had no skull in the back of her head to protect her little brain. I have no doubt that if she did, she would have been just as brilliant, beautiful and loving as her brother. But she didn't, and there was a lot of pain that revolved around her birth and our subsequent loss. Needless to say, there are moments when I still cry and mourn her loss - 24 years later. Would she find the cure for cancer? Would I have grandchildren now? Would she be my scrappin' buddy? Who knows....I never will. All I know is that perhaps I would not have Alan now if she would have survived. So I have to be thankful for that and try to find peace.

Well, there is more to the story but maybe another time. I know you came here to look at art. I'll say thank you now for the kind commets that I know are forthcoming. I am grateful for my unseen friends and crafty buddies. Y'all mean the world to me!

RECIPE:

Stamps: Childhood Portrait, Made with Love (CTMH)

Ink: Hollyhock, Chocolate (CTMH)

Paper: White Daisy CS, Chocolate CS (CTMH), K&Company Designer Pad

Other: Dimensional Element, Crocheted Flower, Blush Mini Brad (CTMH), Stickles

Deb

Think Ink Tuesday and CTMH Blog Hop Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

Hey y'all! If you're looking for Close To My Heart's Stamp of the Month Blog Hop, skip along to the next post (below). Just a reminder that today is Think Ink Tuesday! Zip over to the Artful INkables Blog for this week's challenge. There's a new challenge every two weeks, and there's always a prize! Check back Sunday for my version of the challenge. Woohoo!!!

Deb